The latest trend amongst the current crop of top ATP stars is to hire former tennis greats to become their head coaches. It’s just a matter of time that someone will ask eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi if he’s ready to jump the bandwagon and become a coach himself.
The 43-year-old American says that venturing into coaching “sounds like a very satisfying experience” but added that at this point he is not yet prepared and ready to make that commitment due to his busy schedule – being with his family, working on charitable work and managing an equipment line.
“Seeing the game through someone else’s eyes and trying to figure out how to make them better, all that sounds like a very satisfying experience separate from the commitment that is required from being away from home,” he said.
“When you see Ivan and his kids are older now and grown – it is a different time in life for him.
“I don’t know much about Boris and what focus he has or responsibilities. It’s hard to speak for his reasons and motivations.
“I look at it from a distance and I love talking about the game, I love sharing insight about the game.
“I feel like I could certainly contribute a lot because I spent a lot of time learning and studying what the game is and what people are and what they need.
“All that sounds very enjoyable to me except that it is a full-time job. I just don’t have room for that in my life at this stage.”
Ivan Lendl is currently the mentor of reigning Wimbledon champion Andy Murray. Boris Becker was recently hired to become the head coach of Novak Djokovic. Meanwhile, Roger Federer has taken Stefan Edberg as his coaching consultant ahead of the Australian Open.
Agassi may have said no at this point but said he might reconsider in the future.
“Maybe. You can never say never,” he said.
